I received this message from a reader named Serena and thought it was so powerful I asked her if I could share it with you.
From Serena:
If I have one Universal message for you it is this:
You are loved, supported, valued, cherished, appreciated, honoured, admired and respected. At every moment.
By the Source that holds you in love at every moment.
There is no moment here you have been left, nor could be.
You can do anything. The very best is wanted for you.
You are never alone. You are always loved.
No matter how difficult things seem, you are always being lifted up, even when you feel alone.
No matter how big a leap in life seems, you are greater than the distance you must jump.
You are free. You are able. You are complete.
Lots of love,
Serena
Coincidentally, Serena ended up leaving me this message on ‘one of those days’ when I was feeling pretty crappy and just needed to reframe my perspective. Lately, the anxiety that I’ve struggled with for many years, has started to creep back into my life and I’ve had a difficult time dealing with it on my own. Sometimes it’s anxiety about not feeling good enough or about my body; other times it’s about judgment from others or even feeling alone. If you’ve ever suffered from anxiety, you probably know that it has no limits and it can quickly impact your day to day life. To this day, I strongly believe that my eating disorder was a coping mechanism for my anxiety.
Anxiety usually breeds more anxiety which sucks. I feel more anxiety because I’m not supposed to be struggling with this anymore. I’m supposed to be past this. I’m supposed to be inspiring others. How can I do that when I’m struggling myself?
But I’m only human.
It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture and get bogged down by negative thoughts that loop in our minds, but often, all it takes is a positive message to set those thoughts on the right track again, or even give us hope that we can change. That is what Serena’s message did for me. Her message reminded me that we all struggle and even if we’ve made great progress with things in our lives, sometimes they need more care and attention once and a while.
I receive a lot of emails from other women (and occasionally men) who are struggling with accepting themselves, finding a career they enjoy, ending a bad relationship, illness/injury, or even feeling accepted by their own family. Our struggles may be different on the surface, but what remains true for most of us is that we want to feel love and support from the people that matter to us. That will never change.
And usually that love and support is already there, but we fail to see it. We fail to open ourselves to accept it. We have to be vulnerable to let love into our lives. We have to take risks to make progress.
I’ve always loved quotes. I’ve always loved writing with my heart on my sleeve, knowing that others will connect with words on a screen, in a way that I will never know. I’ve always loved the power that a simple message can have.
Serena’s message inspired me to start working on my struggles with anxiety again. But, I know that I can’t do it alone, so I’ve decided to start seeing a psychologist again to help me with some unresolved issues in my past. I’ve had great success with therapy, and I know I will again. It’s scary though- even for me who has done it before- to open up and make myself vulnerable, but I know that I’ll be just fine. I debated for a while whether I would write this post or not, but I realized that if I didn’t, I would be missing the point.
I’m sharing this with you today in hopes that it connects with you on some level, no matter what you may be dealing with at this very moment. Maybe you got up this morning and the first thing you did was examine your stomach and thighs in the mirror, cringing, while vowing to lose weight. Maybe you struggle with alcoholism, bulimia, abusive relationships, shopping addiction, or perhaps you have the life you dream of and just feel guilty over the thought that something is still missing.
The best thing we can do when we’re struggling is reaching out to another person. The worst thing is to assume that no one cares or will judge us for our struggles.
We are never alone.
~~~
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”~Ambrose Redmoon
“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” ~M. Scott Peck
“We are all functioning at a small fraction of our capacity to live fully in its total meaning of loving, caring, creating and adventuring. Consequently, the actualizing of our potential can become the most exciting adventure of our lifetime.” – Herbert Ottto
Man! This was the perfect day for me to read this. Exactly how I was thinking after I got on the scale this morning and after losing 60 lbs I have gained 40 of it back! :(
I needed this and today I vow to turn things around. Thanks for yours and Serena’s words. We are all in this together! :)
How *courageous* of you to open up like this, Ange! Good luck with the therapy. I’m sure this post helped many others:)
I have such extreme issues with anxiety that I often feel like no one has any idea of what I go through and how much it takes out of me. But I really enjoyed your honesty and the quotes that you shared. I need to copy them down!
Thank you, Angela, for being real. You ARE inspiring, not because you no longer have anxiety, but because you are facing your issues. I truly love your blog! I am sorry to hear you are struggling, I wish you the very best in coping with things. You can do it!!! And thank you for reminding me that I can too :)
Hey Angela,
I’ve been a creeper on your website for a while, but haven’t commented before. I just wanted you to know that I liked reading your site because you seem so put together, positive, and have a life that I greatly admire. This post made me love your site and connect with you even more because it showed me that even though I’m struggling with things like this in my own life, I can still make changes to get where I want to be. I often find my depression so crippling that I feel I can’t change anything until I feel better, but your post made me think that I could change other things in my life and that may help me more than just attacking the depression. And as a side note, it drives home that I am not the depression, even though I feel so bogged down by it because I’m just as multidimensional as someone like you, it just feels like I can’t get my head above it sometimes. Thank you for posting this.
-Stephanie
Thank you Stephanie! Goodluck with everything!
“Our struggles may be different on the surface, but what remains true for most of us is that we want to feel love and support from the people that matter to us. That will never change.”
That is so profound, beautiful and simply true that it brought tears to my eyes. This entire post is eloquent and moving, and you are an incredible person for sharing it (and for your blog in general, but I’m getting picky here ;) ). I know that in real terms it means nothing, but you have my thoughts and wishes with you, and I’m positive that you’ll find a way to move forward. Take care :) xxx
This is such a beautiful post. I love how honest you are. Your posts have helped my roommate and I so much throughout this year dealing with anxiety about ourselves, our bodies, and life. Thank you so much you are so inspiring!
Angela-that is such a wonderful post. Truly genuine and admirable. I, too, struggle with anxiety/self-esteem and very much appreciate this post! Best of luck into the future with inner happiness!! :)
Such a perfect post. The main reason I visit your blog is because you are not only inspiring, but also relatable, especially in posts like these!
Great post! Exactly what I needed to read today. I am going through some major life changes and though they are mostly positive, the anxiety can be overwhelming at times. I also struggle with forgiving myself for mistakes I have made and ruminate over them. Were all human though and need to give ourselves and others the forgiveness and support we need. You’re so brave to open up with your struggles and helping a lot of others in the process!
Thanks for sharing this, Angela. I envision you as such a warm and kind woman. Full of energy, creativity and love. This energy exudes from each of your posts. It’s so fantastic to see people living out their passion and living in love. Something I see you doing everyday! Or, at least it sounds like you are :)
I think it’s totally natural for us to have those off days. I had an off day last week when one of my coworkers told me to slow down with my marathon training. I took it SO personal – why would she tell me I couldn’t do it? Then, I realized that maybe she was saying she couldn’t do it, and was just reflecting her own feelings on me.
It’s amazing what happens when we remove our anxiety goggles and view the world with loving eyes. Works every time.
I too am challenged with anxiety, panic, and an onslaught of negative thoughts. I created the “positive affirmations project” on my blog a month or so ago to help me; and others, work through the negativity that can sometimes fill our lives. It’s been SO helpful!
Thank you so much for this post. Anxiety really does have a way of cropping up out of nowhere and taking over. Worst houseguest ever. Being able to talk about it in therapy and understand where it comes from has been such a big help in learning how to deal with anxiety. I love that you make your blog feel like a safe place for people to share their thoughts and experiences on what can feel like such a private, isolating experience.
Hi! October last year, after a nightly breakdown, I admitted to myself I had serious troble with eating disorder and started dealing with it. I told my family and frieds, opened up to theit love and acceptance. I started seeing a psychologist and read some really good books which helped me a lot. This June, I felt good and stable enough to have a summer break with my talkning sessions and I feel like I have gained a whole new life. A life that I want to live, alife where I begin to love myself more and feel more acceptance for myself. And during the whole process (and for some time before that), I have read your blog. You have shared so many wonderful stories and thoughtful words and often made me smile, with your words and pictures.
You are really an inspiration and so worthy of all the love in your life. I hope you feel better soon. :)
Angela, you are sooo inspiring! This post really hit home for me today. It was so helpful for me to read this today, and I am having a struggle of my own at the moment, and this was very comforting. As someone who is diagnosed with a panic disorder, I completely feel your pain. You are not alone! Seeing a therapist was magical for me, and helped to *almost* eliminate my panic attacks. I never hesitate to have a chat with my therapist when I need to. Best of luck to you in your journey with this.
Thank you for your honest post. Hope you feel MUCH better soon! All the best.
this post is truly beautiful, it brought a tear to my eye reading it. Angela you are such an inspiration! Thank you so much for your honesty.
Angela, all I can say is “Thank You”!
This post touched me in more ways than one. You have no idea how much I sympathize and understand what you mean, and how good was for me to read this post at this point in my life. So, truly, thank you for writing it, it was the best thing I have read this year!
Ana
Love this, missy. I hope you don’t mind, I read that message to myself, as though it were meant for me. Next to a smile after a hard run, timing is the most precious thing in the world. :)
aww :)
Love this post. Anxiety can be so invasive, but the best way to get rid of fear is to shine a light on it. And your light is shining strong in this post. Thank you, because this really speaks to my experience of late and you reminded me of some important things.
Thank you so much for this post and your honesty, it’s definitely not easy to bare all like that. I wish you all the luck in the world with your therapy and i’m certain that you will overcome this issue! You have such a great support system of love and friendship to help you along the way. Anxiety is something I have always struggled with and it has led to various problems throughout my life. Although it is much more under control now I still find myself worrying and panicking about things in the past, present and future. Most of it is completely irrational but when it gets hold of you it really takes control and affects every aspect of your life. I try to focus on positive thinking everyday and though it’s not always easy, It definitely helps. Sending you lots of light, love and positivity! :)